The Fire That Brought Us Together
by AMFW
Summary: After her tragic end, Rin's spirit roams in Sesshoumaru's life, day in and day out. Once the apparitions are noticed by him, he has inner conflict about Rin, and what she really was to him.
1. Chapter 1

_Authors Notes:_ Well, this is my first story that I have published, so I'm open for all critiquing. I've never written any formal fanfiction and I'm excited that I finally have gotten an idea for an original plot. I have to warn everyone that there are spoilers in reference to Episode 162: With Sesshoumaru Forever.

**The Fire That Brought Us Together**

Chapter 1

_Jaken is silly. _She closed her eyes in distress and drifted to sleep after what Jaken had told her about Sesshoumaru's Empire._ Will I die? No! I will not! Sesshoumaru will always protect me! I'll be with him forever! _The defiant voice in her screamed in protest. It couldn't be true, that she'd die, right?

That night, whether she know or not, her Master went through a trial. He had a choice to not come to her aid like he had in the past. He had a choice to leave her behind in a human village. But after hearing her cries of desperation, he decided to win her back from the persistent monk that believed no demon, big or small, had a heart.

Remembering what the monk had said brought shivers down her spine. _Humans and demons live in two different worlds. _That one sentence crashed down on her like a pile of bamboo. It sent a chain reaction of things said to her in the past. _You will be long dead when Sesshoumaru establishes his Empire._ She had believed that she would be with him forever, but she never thought, that forever for her, would be only a few minutes of her Master's life for him.

Oh so long ago that time felt to her now. She could barely remember. The only thing she clearly remembered from that day was when she asked him if he would remember her when she passed from this world. Remembering that he called her foolish for asking such a question left her unsatisfied with that answer.

Now, as she lay on the ground of her Masters' home dying, she realized, that no matter what, she'd have to go sooner or later. Whether it be disease, or old age, something would claim her. Today was her day, she could feel it.

"He'll come..." she barely whispered as the flames came near her small figure. She replayed every moment of her life with him, from the time they met, 'till yesterday afternoon when he took leave to seek advice from the old tree about how to establish his empire. He left her to "watch" his residence, instead of coming along with him, like she usually did. Was he trying to hide her from the world?

She fluttered her eyes closed and went into a coughing fit. _What a foolish accident_, She thought. Being trapped under a beam of wood left her hopeless and she could now only think of what happened in her head. Why did her stomach have to be hungry at this moment? Why did she turn on that stove? Why? Why? Why?

The flames engulfed the wooden beam that she was trapped under. And so began her tragedy. The wood ferociously crackled and in a few minutes, her kimono caught fire. She glued her eyes shut and prepared for the pain. Practically feeling her soul lifting from her body, she called out to him, one, last, time.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Her body became ash, and it was then mixed with ash from the wood. At 16 years old, Rin died, in the house of the taiyoukai.


	2. Chapter 2

_Authors Notes:_ Big thanks to my first reviewer **icygirl2**. I'll forever remember that screen name! Now, chapter one was sort of something like a prologue and that's why it was so short, but alas, on with the story.

Question: what was that tree's name in the Series? I totally forgot...

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**The Fire That Brought Us Together**

Chapter 2

Something in his heart twitched. All of a sudden, he felt the need to go back home immediately. He turned away from the old tree and looked outward in the forest pretty randomly. The wise tree knew there was something amiss at the house of the taiyoukai, for the wind told him everything. But, how did Sesshoumaru know? It was beyond too far to sense anything at his simple, yet elegant home. No sooner after he wondered, the wind told him everything.

"Go," was all that the wise tree said to Sesshoumaru. When he looked back at the tree, and saw his face full of emotion, he could only wonder what the hell was going on. He figured he wasn't going to hurry and be on his way to see what was going on, so, he simply walked away, as if he had no care in the world.

Jaken, unaware of what just happened, was downright confused. They were all engaged in a conversation about Sesshoumaru's new empire when the most peculiar thing happened. Of course, Jaken was so meddlesome, he had to pop the question.

"My Lord, with all due respect, what is going on?" he said ambiguously.

Sometimes Sesshoumaru forgot that he had a retainer, or a servant, if you will. He was pesky at times, and downright annoying. But he could use the Staff of Heads, which has come very handy throughout the years. Mostly when saving Rin from being killed, and especially when finding his father's mausoleum. Thinking about Rin made something in his heart twitch again, and now he was fully aware that something must of happened to her. It all fit together like a puzzle, starting with the bereaved face of the wise tree. What exactly happened?

"I'm not positive, Jaken. But I think that something dreadful has happened at my abode." Sesshoumaru stated uncertainly.

_Dreadful? Did he just say dreadful? Was that word in Lord Sesshoumaru's vocabulary? What could have possibly been so dreadful?_ Jaken thought with disfavor. His faced scrunched up and a drop of sweat rolled down his forest green skin.

Sesshoumaru took notice and stated the obvious: "Don't think to hard Jaken, what is at my home presently?"

"A human," he simply stated with distaste.

He smirked at this statement. After all these years of having her with us, he still is in denial that they are, _at least_, friends. He continued to watch Jaken's face change as if the information he himself stated slapped him in the face.

"You think something happened to Rin? That's not so dreadful!" Jaken exclaimed.

Sesshoumaru shot him a look of disapproval, which made him cower and apologize for not watching what he said around his Lordship. Having a servant around was disgusting, especially one like Jaken who would grovel every time he said something disapproving.

They both continued to walk in silence to Sesshoumaru's grand home, one every Lord would envy over. The home was a mixture of wood, paper doors, and some new textile in production called concrete, but for the most park, it was red oak, and beautifully decorated wooden doors. centuries ago Sesshoumaru's father hired a human painter to depict scenes of battle in the main areas of the house, and beautiful flower weaves on the bedroom doors. Although there is wonderful decor on the doors, for the most part, the house is empty and there is not much furniture or other paintings hung.

As they both approached the mountain that his abode was on, Sesshoumaru didn't like what he saw at all. There was smoke rising up to the clouds, and a brisk fire also. He didn't see Rin anywhere outside which meant that she may be still inside, he started to sprint.

He arrived inside his some-what mansion, and called out her name.

"Rin! Rin! Where are you?" He heard not a sound exact wood cracking down the hall. For the most part, his home was still intact. Sesshoumaru dashed to her make-shift room that consisted of a small raised bed and a dresser. "Rin!" Nothing.

He continued towards the fire, which happened to be in the kitchen, and the horrid smell reached his nose. It was a mixture of Rin's blood and her normal scent. The scent of wild flowers and grass. He couldn't believe it for one second. _What the hell happened? I don't smell any attacks, any demons, any... nothing! I only smell her._ He looked for her the old-fashioned way, and found nothing, until he stepped on something that made an unusual crunching sound. A sound that he only heard during fighting, and killing someone, the sound of breaking bones.

He looked down slowing, not believing a second of it. As he looked down at what was actually on the ground, it all hit him like a ton of bricks. Rin's body, or what was left of it, was mostly of ashes already, and some bones. She had been disabled under a pillar that held up part of the ceiling.

Almost on instinct, before it was too late, he lifted the pillar and withdrew Tenseiga. _This is almost too like back then...it has to be coincidence..._ he reminisced. He slashed out at her body. Nothing. _Could it be that her body is too far gone to revive?_ Again, he hacked at her. Nothing. _Tenseiga, what's wrong? Will you not let me revive her? There is no time left! _There was no pulse from the sword. There was just... nothing.

He signed heavy. And knelt down towards her remains.Disregarding his pants becoming dirty, He closed his eyes, ever-so-slowly, and prayed to the gods to save her precious little soul from the shackles of hell, that he knew would change her innocence, forever.

By the time Sesshoumaru stood up, the fire was long out, thanks to the concrete that was around the kitchen for the stove, and Jaken was trotting inside, demanding where Rin was.

"She's dead. Leave me." he stated remorsefully. The toad could never understand how the dog felt. He himself didn't know what to make of it. _She's really gone isn't she?_ It was unbelievable. It couldn't be true. What happened to Tenseiga? It's supposed to revive the dead! Especially humans! He concluded that her body must of been way past the reviving stage, since it was almost ash. His stomach churned. His little tiny Rin died such a foolish death. _It must of been an accident._

It had been almost 24 hours before Jaken approached his Lord again. Sesshoumaru sensed him coming near the gardens, undoubtedly wanting to know what to do now. He looked up in the sky, knowing, that Rin, had changed his life, dramatically.

As the sakura blossoms moved freely in the wind's grace, Jaken made it over to Sesshoumaru. But before he could utter a word, he spoke, dignified, and some-what renewed.

"Bury her remains, here, in the gardens that she so adored, and by dusk, we'll have a small service for her. Understood?"

"My Lord, as you wish." Jaken replied some-what honored. He was feeling remorseful as well. With Rin gone, no longer would he be called 'Master'. The last time anyone had really respected him was when he was the Lord of his people. Centuries ago that was. A new era had begun, one in which humans, did not have such an ugly soul in them, did not have a greedy soul, but a brotherly, benevolent soul. Rin had changed many views of human stereotypes, as well as other humans had too. She was gone. What now? Things would go back to they usually were, but how would his Lord act? He shouldn't even be thinking this, but... Lord Sesshoumaru _had _softened over the years. With her gone, would it all change? Would he be merciless? Only time could tell now, but the future didn't look bright without a Rin in his life.

Jaken trotted back into the scene of the tragedy, and saddened completely when he saw her little human skull, and her adolescent body lying there, or what was left of it. It was sick, like the sick in his stomach, sick. He felt something churning slowly in his green belly. He missed her already...

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_AN:_Okay, end of chapter is kind of dull, but what can I say? It's my first time publishing! (What a lame excuse... :P) 


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